Congress’s panchayat claims worrying BJP govt?

The BJP in Gujarat might be putting up a valiant face but the results of the Gram Panchayat elections seem to have given the party something to worry about it. Two days after the results were announced, a detailed statistical analysis of the results released by the Congress on Tuesday evening claims that 69% of the panchayats elected are in its support.

Even if one were to discard this as an optimistic estimate and try to settle for a more realistic one - with a discount of 15-20% - that would still put the figure at a handsome 50-55%. This might still be cause of serious worry for Narendra Modi. Though the BJP has made repeated sweeping statements that 75% of Sarpanchs are in the saffron front's favour, on Tuesday evening when DNA checked with party spokesperson IK Jadeja to counter the Congress's detailed statistical analysis, he said he would have to revert. While other BJP leaders also repeated the victory line of "75%", sources in the government concede Modi is indeed examining the results rather closely.

Effervescent skeptics in the Congress also concede that 69% may be a slightly inflated figure, but the results are positive nonetheless. A statement by the party makes very specific claims like 5,661 sarpanchs of the 8,170 that polled, support Congress. Of the 2,372 Samras Panchayats, 1,400 Sarpanchs support the party. Leaders claim to have diligently acquired village-wise break-up from their taluka offices on the precise voting patterns and honest assessment of the Sarpanch's political affiliations. This is the analysis sent to the party high-command in New Delhi as well.

"Rural voters are traditionally Congress's strength. After all these years of Modi's urban-focussed industrial politics, rural voters have realized that they have nothing to gain from the BJP. Besides, our feedback has also revealed that the BJP lost due to overconfidence in some seats," a Congress source said.

Driving home their point about precision of this analysis, party provides statistics like 307 villages of 460 in Ahmedabad district have Congress supported Sarpanchs; likewise 140 of 196 in Gandhinagar and 409 villages of 537 in Surat and so on for all districts. Shankersinh Vaghela who has aggressively started campaigning all over the state claims government schemes like Garib Kalyan Mela and Sadbhavana Mission are a "complete flop show" and the result of Panchayat elections is its undeniable evidence.